Posts Tagged ‘evidence’

I forget how many times that we have investigated this fort however we enjoy every one as the activity and the experience is different every time. There are many rooms here, which I still haven’t investigated or even entered.

For all my sessions on this occasion I held them in the guardhouse at the entrance of the fort.

We were joined by a spirit called George who was a Second World War soldier at the fort but lived through the war years and passed away at the age of 55. Plus, there was an older spirit from 1830s, also a Soldier in the Army and held the rank of Major. This spirit did not give his name.

In all sessions the spirit was able to move and manipulate people and in many cases pushed people to the floor and held some of them on the floor, unable to get up on their own.

This was all very amusing which seem to heighten the activity and the experience of the guests with more people being manipulated as time wore on.

This was another excellent ghost hunt at the fort with many people experiencing paranormal activity and having their own paranormal evidence in the free session. We look forward to our return in October 2016.

This was an unplanned event, this was a last minute decision to come to the Red Lion, but since there was a small amount of guests we were hopeful that we would have some interesting episodes.

We normally also film events here, but on this particular event we didn’t and from experience we know that when we don’t film something interesting happens that we wished we filmed!

Both groups to the cellar felt the spirit energies of; Alex, a well-dressed man, a true gent from the 1800’s and Felicity who was a shy Victorian dressed woman.

However the first group experienced lots more arm movement (all on command) as the spirit tried to move each person one by one, their hands lifted and usually hung mid-air. Most people felt cold spots near or beside them and others felt their heads being touched.

A couple of people heard some odd noises and towards the end of the session I and others heard a voice, it sounded like a question and it sounded like it was in the room with us. There is a newsagent shop above this cellar but the normal muffled voices didn’t sound like what I heard, if only we had videoed the session then I would have been able to listen to the volume of the sound!

As we finished the session there was a girl spirit who wanted some help, she was about 7 or 8 years old and she was looking for her nanny. Jason went back in the lower part of the cellar on his own and asked this girl to touch his hand. He felt some odd sensations and something that he described as a dog brushing past him.

Later when we were in the Restaurant doing a Ouija board session we had a boy called Timothy who like to play in this space. He was 6 years old but could not spell nor able to tell us the year he passed.

All in all this was a very enjoyable ghost hunt and some excellent paranormal evidence was witnessed by the guests.

This was the first paranormal investigation that we have held. Not to be confused with our ghost hunts, our paranormal investigation events are where we set up our remote cameras and have dedicated rooms within the venue for different activities and where only one group of people are investigating at a time, with the other investigation team watching on the cameras what the other group are doing.

The whole point of this type of event is for everyone present to use some of the more interesting and scientific tools that we use which will include using more of our ghost hunting equipment to gather evidence.

The hope is that whilst one group is investigating then if any noises are heard we can quickly verify with the monitoring team if they heard anything and with so many cameras (we have over 30) there is every chance that whatever the anomaly, it would have been recorded.

This was the first time that we had set up this venue with the majority of our cameras, although due to cabling issues we didn’t have time to set up all the cameras, however we did have a camera in every room.

The event also enabled us to review the audio recordings as we progressed with the investigation so that the guests could hear the responses to their questions immediately.

During the first session lots of banging was heard by both the investigation team and the monitoring team, not always from the same place and although the building had many doors, it wasn’t windy and we couldn’t re-create the sound that various people heard.

There was a young male spirit called Timmy who was about 8 or 9 years old and stood by the investigation group and many of those in the investigation group felt that there was a child around. Various spikes were noted on the MEL meters as well as fluctuations in temperature.

EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomena a.k.a. ghost voice) experiments were undertaken by guests and whilst nothing could be heard at the time or in the immediate analysis on the night, our analysis has found there was in fact a voice from the first session. That EVP can be heard at:-

There were others but they were either too quiet or too much background noise from the people present from shuffling their feet, not speaking towards the microphone or recording when everyone was talking.

The second session was more productive with a howl or a cry heard by the investigation group but nothing heard in the hub room, oddly no cry or howl was recorded on any camera.

Whilst watching the cameras I was able to tell everyone in the hub room that there was a spirit standing next to Marc (GHE team) tugging on his left side, within a matter of minutes, Marc reported on the radio that he felt that his shirt was being tugged on his left side. The Spirit’s name was Sarah who was about 6 or 7 years old and had told me previously (when I first visited the location) that she had passed away in a fire at the property.

When the groups swapped over the investigation group were trying a glass work experiment, firstly Sarah the spirit from the earlier session joined them and started to confirm questions asked and then we tried a different experiment. Carl (GHE Team) who was with me in the Hub room drew a shape on a piece of paper, then once we informed the investigation group that we had drawn something Marc asked Sarah to look at it and draw the shape with the glass. We also asked Sarah to go to numbers that we had written down. All of the answers that Sarah gave were the correct answers. However when we moved on to letters the investigation group were repeatedly told ‘M’ whereas Carl had drawn a ‘W’.

At the end of these sessions I held a séance in the top room, the strangest room, so that all guests could hopefully feel spirit energy move them in some way.

A spirit called David joined us, he was in his mid-30s and started by doing exactly what I asked, moving people arms, and usually on command of the person as I asked those guests to ask in their heads and not say which direction out loud.

Many guests were also pushed and pulled backwards, some guests were also pulled or pushed towards the cupboard and some of us were pulled to the floor by our hands or lifted to the ceiling which was only about 6’5”. As the séance progressed more and more people were beginning to feel their own arms move, much to their amazement and surprise and toward the end one particular guest felt that she wanted to cry and became very warm, another guest also had trouble leaving the room because every time she tried one of her arms would violently shake, this eventually stopped happening and she could leave the room.

For our first public paranormal investigation (we conduct many of these as private or team events) it was very successful and although we didn’t record the sort of evidence that we would have hoped we will be returning to this venue again to try to record something amazing.

Fort Borstal is always an interesting ghost hunt for us as something that has never happened before usually happens to the guests however no one could have predicted what happened on this particular evening. As a team with a combined experience of over 100 years none of us have ever seen or witnessed anything that even comes close to what one particular guest experienced in the Caponier, however that will be covered in the second report by the paranormal investigators. However that doesn’t mean nothing of interest happened to the people with me on the contrary I too had a very unusual experience in the Counterscarp galleries…

The first group to the Counterscarp galleries we formed a séance circle in one of my favourite parts, it is actually the furthest room, not particularly big but usually the séance held here have a common theme, which I am very aware of and hence why I bring people to this area every time.

We were joined by a familiar spirit energy to this area; Captain Daniel Bedford who is a strict man however he also likes to make guests aware of his presence and he started by moving various peoples arms, sometimes on command other times of his own free will. He was also able to physically push some people. Using some people arms and hands he was able to rub the chins of some of the male guests, this is a common occurrence. He also tapped one particular guest three times on his head, very similar to the phrase “is anybody home”. Daniel was also able to slow punch two of the guests under the chin, as if to tell them to stand up straight. I and another guest were also pulled down so that our hands were touching the floor and our hands were dragged on the floor. Many guests heard the sound of “chatter” as well as breathing and whispering sounds, this is anomalous because the dry moat ground level outside the counterscarp galleries is about 15 feet below where we were stood inside and there are no animals wild or domestic in the moat. Several guests also saw something pass the windows since it was still light outside and other guests saw lights at the other end of the tunnel, no explanation could be established for either occurrence.

At the end of this séance I conducted an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena a.k.a. ghost voice) experiment. Unfortunately there was quite a lot of noise from the guests shuffling which when the files were analysed by our experts drowned out any spirit response because the echo in these tunnels is a lot longer than in a normal room. However the only good EVP can be heard at:-

The second group to the Counterscarp galleries I formed a séance circle in exactly the same room, hopeful that the same spirit energy would be present for the guests to experience his energy. Unfortunately he wasn’t but there was another male spirit called Bernard or Biffa to his friends present. He was from a time when the Fort was being built, about 1880, as he was a prisoner. Once I asked Biffa to move the guests in some way, lots of people arms were simultaneously moved and everyone felt a physical force push them down towards the floor. One particular guest (Chris) was pushed down with such a reasonable force that he couldn’t get up and whilst he thought it was safer to stay on the floor the spirit had other ideas. Biffa then managed to push and pull us all across the floor until Chris was pushed against a wall. I have no idea how we managed to be moved in this way and I have never seen a spirit manage to do this to people before. Once we were all against the wall Biffa then decided to twist people and bend them into what looked like impossible positions, yet we all managed to stay linked and the séance ended with us rubbing Chris’ chin which looked like a thinking man’s pose.

Just as we were about to end the séance everyone heard the sound of a whistle request that I had made earlier, they were two very distinct repeats of a whistle that I asked spirit to repeat about 20 minutes earlier.

The third group to the Counterscarps were not eager for more spiritual movement as they were the group that had the amazing activity in the Caponier, however during the séance in exactly the same room both Biffa and Captain Daniel were present and they continued moving people’s arms and pushing them. Once again we all heard the now familiar “chatter” and whisper sounds, although we still have no idea where these noises could have come from. Some odd noises were also heard coming from the moat, one of these sounded like a man groaning or cursing, however having walked the whole of the dry moat (in daylight) I know that this is very unlikely that anyone would have been in the moat as it is more or less impossible to get out especially at night where the hazards cannot be seen.

Using a spirit box (a device that scans the FM radio band in reverse at 100ms) we heard the words “Ann” “Hi” and eventually “Go”. None of the questions asked had any intelligible answer.

Moving to the other end of the Counterscarp gallery there were two Second World War soldiers present, one was Welsh and the other from Lincolnshire, neither did very much to affect the guests although Jason felt a poke in his stomach.

This was an exceptionally active ghost hunt with all guests getting some truly exciting paranormal evidence that they could not explain but nevertheless enjoyed.

The video of what happened that amazed us can be seen at http://youtu.be/b6FYM23wgJM although the report from this group is published under the Paranormal Investigators section.

This particular evening was a crisp 2 degrees Celsius with a clear sky and some moonlight, which although looked atmospheric made the woods a lot lighter than when there is no moon, as the moonlight makes it seem much more open than it is. However with the moon, there wasn’t any need for a torch as the pathways could easily be seen.

I started in my usual spot and after a short while a male spirit energy approached us, he was 33 years old and from the 1890s and gave me the impression that he was a farmer as he wore green coloured trousers and a check shirt but I found it odd that he wasn’t wearing a hat, as in that period farmers would have worn hats.

After some brief KII activity and communication via our electronic equipment I started a séance to give the guests some physical evidence of the spirit energy present. Whilst the farmer spirit energy was present, another male energy came forward to touch and move the guests as part of the séance. His name was Michael and he had dark and hair and a stocky build.

Michael was able to gently move some of the guests arms and push one or two of the guests as well as using our hands to stroke the faces and hair of some of the guests, which was a strange sensation for all those concerned.

A female spirit energy was also present, although she took a while to approach us and as I was telling the guests that she was approaching, one of the guests commented that they thought that they could see a shadow on the path of a person approaching us.

During the séance many guests commented that they could see lights behind me, one guest described the lights as being similar to shooting stars but much smaller and nearer to the ground.

At the end of the séance I did an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena a.k.a. ghost voice) experiment.

There were several responses to the question asked but even under extensive analysis the recordings could not be enhanced that much and it took a lot longer to figure out the words being spoken by the spirit. The best can be heard at:-

We would recommend listening to these several times to actually hear the words spoken.

The second location I set up the laser grid and pointed it along the path, some guests commented that they could see shadows within this grid, although I couldn’t because I was seeing the spirit energies.

Various spirit energies came and went, which the guests were able to detect on our KII meters and there was some communication via the gadgets.

There were also some strange noises heard further along the path and behind us, many of which sounded like footfalls of people.

Some guests ventured further along the path to investigate a light that they could see and the shadows in the grid.

At this point I started using our Spirit Box (a device that scans the FM radio waves in reverse at 100ms). First several names were heard, none of them belonging to anyone present, then we all heard “Hi” and “Hello”.

I asked how many guests were present and we all heard a very clear “5” then one of the guests who were investigating further along the pathway returned. I then asked the same question and we all heard a very clear “6” I also asked how many were further along the path and once again we all heard a very clear “3”. All of these answers were correct as there were 9 of us in total.

Once again a very successful ghost hunt with some good evidence, both physical and audible experienced by the guests.

Ghost Hunt Events as a team always enjoy going to Fort Horsted, as every time we go there something different, amazing or unbelievable happens during the ghost hunt which leaves our guests speechless. The level of activity that we have encountered at this Fort is surprising although we look forward to every event as if it were our first time there.

My first session was in a location the furthest from the other group and although we had sporadic communication via our electronic equipment, I decided that it would be better to hold a séance and ask the spirit present to interact with the guests.

Just after we started a male spirit called Michael stood in the doorway, several guests reported that they too saw a shadow in the doorway. Michael was of West African descent in his late 20s and appeared to be from the 1960s. He also told me that he was a carpenter who would have worked at the Fort at some point, he didn’t give the specifics.

Michael was able to move some of the guests arms but the majority of the time we were all hearing mumblings and whisperings from outside the room, although spirit did copy some of my whistles, which were heard by the guests. Also a lot of loud bangs were heard, although given the nature of the tunnels and that sound travels throughout these tunnels, those bangs could have been anything, although not the other group as they were too far away and not in the same tunnel complex. The whisperings and female voices on the other hand were not originating from the tunnels, but from within the room.

After a while we moved into another tunnel to see if guests felt anything strange, which is often the case however on this occasion none of the guests felt anything, but then we were a large group and the best activity here happens to small groups of people. There was however another male energy called Peter present who was able to answer some questions via our electronic equipment. Also more whistles were heard in this tunnel.

My second session was in exactly the same area, as each group just swapped for the second of our controlled sessions. Once again Michael joined us although no-one reported any movements. However many guests this time around (including me) smelt paint or white spirit which was strange as there would never be anyone painting within these tunnels. Some other guests reported smelling liquorice.

Once again we all heard female voices, mumblings and whispers although not on the same level as the previous group and after moving into the other tunnel, even less happened.

The third session was held in casement 26, which involves walking down an interesting and steep staircase below the dry moat. Whilst I was in this area with the majority of the guests I didn’t feel or sense any spiritual activity, although some guests did have some communication via our electronic equipment with a child energy.

After this final session we allowed our guests to go back to any particular area to experience any activity, although the majority of people wanted to experience the same rooms as each other, apart from three guests who asked me if we could go somewhere else and try to get some good evidence as they hadn’t experienced much all evening. So I took them to an area in which other people were unlikely to interrupt us and held a séance to encourage spirit to join us.

This was probably one of the best sessions I have had at the Fort. A male energy called Sergeant Mitchell joined us, he was 27 years old and Scottish and told me that in the Second World War he would train people at the Fort, but he was then sent to Normandy in France where he died from shrapnel wounds. He instantly liked Phil (guest) and myself because of our Celtic links (Phil is Welsh & I am Cornish) and he started moving all of the guests arms, first gently, then with more purpose as the guests got used to the strange feeling. He was also able to push and pull us usually surprising us as he did so. The guests then asked several questions (some out loud and some in their heads) which Mitchell answered by swaying some people and moving our arms to signify yes and no.

During this session, two other guests found us and whilst we were unable to let them fully join in, as we were being manipulated (by being pushed and pulled) they stood and watched. Becky who was standing nearest to us felt strange tingling pins and needle sensations as Mitchell told me that he was trying to touch her. Audrey (guest) who was part of the séance group felt her bum being touched or caressed. At the end of the séance I asked all the guests to think of a personal question to ask Mitchell as part of our EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena a.k.a. ghost voice) experiment. Many of the questions had some form of response although we have been unable to hear the exact words but three responses (out of six) had audible answers, two of which are very clear. These can be heard at

Once again a very enjoyable ghost hunt, although a little slow to start with, but as the night progressed more activity was experienced by the guests, especially when the two large groups split down into smaller groups. The Ouija board sessions were also very active (this will be covered in another team members report).

The ghost hunt events team were all present as we were shooting a promotional video before the ghost hunt.

Last years ghost hunt at South Foreland lighthouse was excellent however the weather in October was a little bit windy so we were hoping for a better day for June 2012 and because of the tine of year we were able to see France with ease and much of the coastline of Kent as well as the infamous Goodwin Sands where many ships have sunk over the years.

Fortunately due to the location there weren’t any noises apart from an occasional announcement from Dover docks which was carried on the wind to interfere with our investigation.

After a brief history and tour of the building from the National Trust representative the majority of the group headed into the lower ground floor room, as this was the only room which was completely dark, however myself and Carl (team member) remained outside of this room as we were conducting a special EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena a.k.a. ghost voice) experiment. The difference being that both Carl & I were wearing our respective hearing amplification equipment which meant that whilst we could hear the other group clearly we could also conduct our own quiet recordings without interrupting the other group.

During this session many bangs and tapping sounds heard by both of us were heard. These all sounded like someone on the floor above us but no-one was on that floor. We also heard whispers and voices which once again sounded like someone above us. I however had the sensation that my shirt was being pulled out from behind me, but I did not sense any spirit present at that time, although the other group had asked the spirit with them to do something to either of us. (Their report will follow).

When the group had finished in the lower ground floor, myself & Carl ventured into that room, as soon as I took two steps into the room I felt an amazing amount of pain in my right knee, it felt like someone had just kicked my knee. The rest of the group found this very funny as they had asked the spirit that was present to do that to another guest. I had trouble walking for a couple of hours and it hurt every time I went up or down a step.

The second session was held in the Control room of the lighthouse; a female energy called Elizabeth came forward and told us that she lived in the lighthouse with her husband who was a keeper. During this session many bangs and knocking was heard by everyone. Marc (team member) went to investigate one of the knocks as it sounded like the outside door and although we were sure it was locked he went to check. As soon as he was outside the room he exclaimed to himself that it felt odd, although we could clearly here him. He later explained that the atmosphere on that part of the staircase felt strange and stagnant.

Our third session was once again split; some guests followed me into the lower ground floor and others onto the upper ground floor and control room. We were joined by a male energy called Timmy Sullivan who was about 17 or 18 years old and he presented himself as being a simple person. He had dark short hair and was very slim or skinny and about 5’9”. He gave the year of his passing as 1891.

Lots of audible noises were then heard by everyone present, some of the noises sounded like a clock (although there were no clocks in the room) and then just as I thanking Timmy for making a noise we all heard an extremely loud crack right behind me, what this was I have no idea, because nothing in the room was on (there were electrical meters and general lighthouse workings behind me). Tapping on the metallic objects in the room also were repeated back to us as were whistles.

One of the guests who was sitting in a chair felt uncomfortable, so she moved to the other side of the room. This corresponds with a male energy who had turned up, he was 55 years old and basically came in swearing at us, although I was the only person who could hear him, but the guests present felt the atmosphere change. Many more noises were heard including a very loud bang which occurred right in front of me. From this point on one of the team entered the room and sat in the chair that the female guest had sat in and within a few minutes he too wasn’t feeling well and had to leave the room. One of the female guest also left the room as she was frightened.

I then conducted a series of EVP experiments, during which a number of noises continued, mostly it sounded like someone tapping on the metallic objects in the room.

Also during the experiment a guest asked a question but instead of an EVP a loud “tick” was heard, you can hear it at http://youtu.be/PCvRl_LuRfU The tick sound had no obvious explanation as nothing in the room had previously made this noise all night.

Once again a very enjoyable ghost hunt with lots of activity. Many Thanks to Janet and the National Trust for making this event run smoothly.

Notes arising from the group investigations carried out by Marc Weston of Rooms 7 and 10 respectively.

Room 7 – First Group

After an initial, short briefing on the kit provided and its usage and perceived benefits etc, protection for all present was administered and a re-iteration of “investigative protocols” given with regards photo flash and personal/environmental experiences, sensations etc

Within minutes of entering the room and “settling” the clients down, several complained of “seasickness” and “a feeling of disorientation”. This was attributed to the unlevel floor surfaces within the room, effectively creating a slope running away from the bathroom entrance doorway, the door remained closed throughout the vigil. All lighting was out and as much artificial, background light source reduced or minimised to the best of my ability.

From the outset, people were acknowledging temperature changes and fluctuations both apparent and actual within the room. Checks made with a laser beam type thermometer and monitored constantly via the MEL Meter actually indicated a rise in temperature when clients were suggesting that a temperature fall had occurred. A strange anomaly to say the least! This aspect featured throughout the night, associated with all groups in this particular room/area??

One lady requested I monitor her surrounding ambient body temperature, head to toe. At her forehead a reading eight (8) degrees Celsius higher, was recorded compared to her feet/ankle area, where she complained of a “blast of chilled air” No explanation could be identified for this effect. No windows or doors were nearby to create/cause draughts and attendees standing either side of her recorded no variations in temperature or other sensations whatsoever?

Shortly afterwards, guests sitting on the bed edge, adjacent to the wardrobe reported strange “sensations” emanating from the wardrobe itself. MW advised those present that previous vigils in this room had always had similar sensations originating and emanating from the wardrobe area and specifically the corner of the room adjacent.

Within seconds, two individual reports were made alleging the sight of a black mass, moving at low level, “growing” from the corner. Indeterminate in shape and form, several guests suggested that the black mass was indeed exhibiting a human form though this cannot be confirmed or corroborated.

The K2 EMF Meter, held by a guest sitting on the bed edge adjacent to the wardrobe and the corner of the room in question lit up simultaneously. MW attended with an MEL and registered a reading of 3.3 on the EMF Scale, concurring and corroborating that “unknown, unexplained, EMF activity” was indeed underway. Further inspection confirmed that no electrical circuitry or apparatus etc was present or evident in the immediate vicinity.

Simultaneous reports followed from a gentleman advising he was experiencing a “numbness and tingling sensation” throughout his body. He then complained of sharp pain in his chest area and specifically, beneath his lower rib cage lower right hand side as if experiencing a “hard prod by someone or something, maybe even an attempted stabbing?” This cause discomfort and “concern” for a few minutes, until the effect/sensation passed.

A suggestion by MW to utilise a laser grid, to ascertain possible “activity” in the area identified proved fruitless, as new batteries installed less than an hour previously failed immediately when the unit was activated. A guest who had brought his own laser grid pen along, offered to enable his unit to be used, subsequently to also advise that his batteries, too, had also completely depleted without any explanation.

The EMF Ghost Meter proved exceptionally popular with the guests and numerous contacts were recorded. Yes/No questions resulted in “confirmation” that the astral presence/spirit evident during the Q&A sessions was indeed Alice Millar and a gentleman called “Julian”?

A, EVP exercise was undertaken and participated in by all present. Data and resulting details are still not fully analysed and will be forwarded onwards accordingly once identified and properly categorised, etc. Playback immediately afterwards indicates some possible response data

With minimal, additional activity and photography, identifying various orbs, physical “sensations of touch” likened to “an insect or spider crawling on my face” the vigil was terminated and all present relocated to Room 10.

Room 10 – First Group.

Guests had fewer places to sit in this room and immediately noted a far colder temperature in this room. MW pointed out the window was open and that the heating had been turned down.

Those seated on the double bed, almost immediately began reporting “vibration and movement within the bed itself and throughout its fabric” Photos taken simultaneously illustrated orb activity above and among the guests being affected by this “phenomenon”

Several attempts at using the scrying mirror were made but insufficient background light proved almost impossible. An alternative solution to utilise the large, mirror on the rear of the room entrance door proved better and those attempting to incite activity had little to report other than “strange sensations” and a sense of disorientation.

The connecting cupboard space between the adjoining room 9 was occupied by several guests with a white noise generator running in the background and guests armed with an EVP digital recorder to assist with question/answer sessions. This data is still to be downloaded and properly analysed.

Participants of this EVP activity reported feeling strange sensations throughout their time in the cupboard and “physical contact/ touching” which was totally unexplained?

Tapping/knocking was heard collectively to the rear of the double bed headboard, where the exposed, glass fronted wall surface, is situated. This was achieved by request from MW and also voluntarily, and without request.

Strange “noises” were apparent, emanating from the adjacent en suite bathroom area, but these were discounted, as previous investigation has established the position of a boiler room, at roof top level, adjacent to the bathroom as the accepted source of such activity.

Room 7 – Group Two

The second group to participate in a vigil in this room/area appeared to be more analytical and ken to engage in contacts via the EMF Ghost Meter. From the outset, all emphasis was placed on the area in the corner of the room and the adjacent wardrobe unit. I must add that nothing was said about the previous groups findings and activities at this juncture, yet independently, the second group identified with and voiced very similar thoughts about the corner area and the wardrobe.

K2 meter was indicating amber on the light scale for lengthy periods, supported once again by MEL readings and temperature monitoring in support of the vocal claims of various guests.

Several claims were made by guests sitting on the bed, on the opposite side to the corner area, of “breezes” and a blowing effect” on their hair/facial areas. MW checked and confirmed that the windows were unable to open at all and that there was simply no apparent physical reason or explicable, logical explanation for this effect.

From the outset with this group, the EMF Ghost Meter exhibited unusual and extraordinary performance, rarely seen previously, though a similar occurrence was recorded during the last investigation at this site. Intermittent and sporadic flashing of the meter lighting, in response to questions was evident. Contact was apparent almost continuously, even to the extent that during mobilisation between investigation room areas, the meter continued to remain engaged.

One particular guest appeared to engage with the meter in a “special” manner. Questions to the responding light indicated that once again Alice Millar was present and with us? Questioning, indicated that she had died carrying an unborn child, was exhibiting “distress” “anger” and “was seeking help and assistance” We were told that her child had not joined her in the spirit world?

Two guests embarked on a mission to resolve and help the contact in her plight and MW was asked to provide assistance with moving the spirit on towards the light and reunite the contact with her unborn child. MW explained that better and more professional personnel had engaged in similar endeavours though several centuries without success. Indications are that Alice Millar is totally “grounded” and will haunt the building for eternity.

The group were collectively convinced that something or someone was “hiding “ in the wardrobe. Attempts were even made to enter the unit and close the doors to seek better clarification, etc, on the situation. This was not possible. However, throughout their endeavours, those involved, achieved amber readings on the K” meter

One gentleman advised that he had experienced a strong sensation of “something rushing bay or past him, resulting in a tingling sensation throughout his body. MW commented that he too had similarly felt a “rush of activity” simultaneously, culminating in a tingling sensation throughout his body also and a strong feeling of nausea. This sensation has been experienced by MW in this room and this area, on previous vigils, with other groups.

Several members of the group attempted scrying in the cosmetic mirror on the side table but no major effects were noted or recorded, however, when MW engaged in this practice, within seconds, he withdrew, noting “distortion and a black, hollowing effect, surrounding his eyes in the mirror face”

Another gentleman reported a “tickling sensation” to the side of his head and neck, very gentle but deliberate. Some time later, in the Tudor Room, during debriefing, this same gentleman advised MW that immediately after this vigil, he had gone to the WC and noted in the mirror, his necklace had turned in a full 180 degree half circle. He always fastens the necklace with the clasp uppermost at the rear of his neck. Without him knowing or feeling anything, and without this ever having happened before, this had clearly happened simultaneously with the “tickling effect” he had encountered in Room 7, earlier.

Room 10 – Group Two

Within minutes of entering the room, and at the specific request of MW for spirit to assist with audible footsteps or similar, within this room, all present clearly witnessed and experienced five (5) distinct and very audible footsteps, which appeared to traverse the room from the entrance doorway to the bathroom door area, at a fast running pace.

Most astoundingly, was the obvious mechanical pressure arising from this activity which physically created movement and “springing” of the timber floor area, which shook, as each individual step was heard, and appeared also to move/increase as the rhythm and pattern of the developing phenomenon unfolded. Everyone was left speechless at this “contact”

MW immediately followed up with grateful thanks to spirit for accommodating his request and asked for it to be repeated. Immediately, a large, loud, single bang/noise was heard in the corner of the room by all present, once again causing a ghast of amazement. No further audible noises were recorded during this particular vigil.

Two separate couples entered the cupboard space, awash with white noise and armed with a digital voice recorder. No data has yet been analysed arising from these encounters.

One female guest, emerging from the cupboard,, complained of “something touching her neck” likening the touch to that of a female human hand. When questioned, she stated she found the experience “unpleasant”.

During debrief in the Tudor Room, this same female guest, whilst recounting her experiences to me, asked if I had just exhaled deeply? Her husband, standing behind her as she sat on a chair, also confirmed he too had heard a lengthy exhaling sound.

MW assured the couple that he had not done anything resembling what had been heard/encountered. This episode remains unexplained.

Room 7 – Group Three

Accompanied by Carl Hutchinson on this occasion, filming with IR equipment, the group entered the room and immediately noted the “oppressive” atmosphere apparent in the room. Several also advised they sensed a “blowing effect” or “draft” on their faces and heads. MW once again confirmed that no windows were presently open.

As MW commenced calling out, reports of hair and face touching resulted and the EMF Ghost Meter was actiove throughout and responding well to questions, specifically those aimed at Alice Millar, the purported source from previous vigils.

MW took photos randomly which illustrated several large orbs above guests seated on the four poster bed. Filming everything in real time, Carl gave an elated squeal of amazement as filamentous orb activity was identified and tracked moving across the heads of guests on the bed. Several examples of such activity were successfully recorded.

Carl assisted in requesting spirit “copy” noises made over several minutes, knocking, tapping and whistling were all included. On one single occasion, though the outgoing whistle was two tone and in two parts, a single, monotone response was heard by everyone present and hopefully captured on the camera footage arising from, this vigil?

Tapping, within the fabric of the flank wall, in the area adjacent to the closed bathroom door, was heard clearly and on several separate occasions. All at the request of both MW and Carl. All guests witnessed and noted this phenomenon.

An EVP exercise was undertaken and data remains to be downloaded and fully analysed. Initial playback to guests suggests some vocal response does appear to be present.

During the various phenomena encountered in this vigil. MW, monitoring with a MEL Meter, once again recorded levels as high as 3.3 simultaneously, two (2) K2 Meters indicated amber readings, all of this data collection is clearly recorded and evident on the film footage captured during the vigil.

Once again, the focus appeared to fall upon the wardrobe unit and the room corner previously identified by both earlier vigils and by other investigations of these premises earlier this year.

Room 10 – Group Three

Contact gained with the EMF Ghost Meter was maintained once again as the group relocated from room 7 to room 10 and the strange “behaviour” of the meter continued once again, as previously described.

Ironically, no similar, audible evidence or data appears to have been gathered on this occasion, despite the previous groups encounter and apparent success. Knocking was recorded however, on several occasions, emanating from behind the bed, head board, area.

An EVP exercise was conducted and data remains to be downloaded and analysed.

Photos taken, and film footage taken by Carl on IR Camera, need to be scrutinised, though initial observations did exhibit orb activity in the room over the bed head board as on previous occasions.

Vigils and EVP exercises within the cupboard space ensued, and Carl advised that he would join someone in this area and film accordingly. Minutes later, Carl emerged to advise that his battery power had completely and unexpectedly drained to zero despite full and complete charging!

Reports ensued of touching and feeling incidents once again within the confines of the cupboard space, and, on this occasion only, despite the presence of white noise being generated at floor level, “strange noises” were heard in the cupboard space?

Carl confirmed the above.

The vigil ended and a basic free for all, access all areas ensued for guests for which no feedback, formal recording or notation has been provided.

Ever since this venue had been booked for a ghost hunt my team and I were anxious to investigate this amazing location, a building which has plenty of history and known ghosts and the very fact that just about every room that we were staying in had some interesting history, usually macabre.

After many guests (and team) enjoyed another kind of spirit at the bar, for nerves obviously! We started by splitting the guests into two groups, one group stayed in the Tudor Room, the other, my group headed into The Parliament Restaurant where we let the guests use our equipment which consisted of K2 meters, dialogue meters and a tricorder, many hotspots were detected and spirit generally stepped forward to be noticed, the dialogue meters proved to be quite active and spirit was able to communicate with guests through basic yes and no questioning.

After a while I suggested that we hold a séance to try to get spirit to come forward and give the group some form of personal evidence. After a short amount of time a young boy called Timothy aged about 6-7 years old came forward, the group had already detected him via the tricorder and our other electronic equipment. Timothy was wearing a smart suit with short trousers, not a school uniform, and by his appearance he looked as if he came from the 1810s. He also brought his Sister with him, called Mary but she was rather shy. However between them they managed to move the arms of some of the guests. Hot and cold spots were also felt by the guests, but generally the energy seemed only to interact with those nearest to the kitchen.

There was also another female energy present, she was about 23 years old and was very shy, and she emerged from the kitchen area and stayed within an invisible boundary from the kitchen door to mid-way into the restaurant. She did not interact with the guests, but she could see that Timothy and Mary were interacting with us.

Throughout the séance I could sense a male energy sitting near the bar, he appeared to be very grumpy almost angry and he appeared to be dressed in clothing which I would associate as being from 1920s – 1930s. He did not want to interact with the group and stayed in the same place, muttering to himself.

After we broke the séance circle I conducted an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) experiment, which was stopped mid-flow due to a very noisy crowd making their way along the walkway just outside, but after we re-commenced the experiment there were two EVPs recorded. One which has been added to our website as it is very clear and the other which we cannot establish what exactly is being said.

Many guests wandered over to where this disgruntled gentleman appeared to me and our electronic equipment picked up his energy. Some of the guests also photographed orbs in this location.

During this part of our investigation I set up the laser grid in the hope of seeing a spirit manifestation, as we have had some success with this in the past; however nothing notable happened at the time.

Some photographs were taken of the ceiling in the area which separates the bar and the restaurant and someone noticed that there seemed to be a woman’s face looking down through the window, but alas this turned out to be a mannequin! However during this time many people photographed what seemed to be a patch of brickwork on the ceiling, there was no brickwork. At the time the photographs looked very real however on examining the photos that we took and those taken by some of the guests we can conclude that it wasn’t brickwork, it was the wooden beam, which although doesn’t look anything like brickwork under certain circumstances the wood of the beam is reflected in the flash, which lightens the wood and since the beam is etched this looks like brickwork because the beam is out of focus. A mystery solved!

The second session we swapped the groups and my group headed into the café since the noise on the street had quietened down. We were assembled in the cellar of the café and although there were spirit energies present the activity was rather subdued. We did however hear some very loud bangs and crashes which sounded like they were emanating from right above us, but we know that we were the only people in this area. A male energy called David made himself known to the group via a electronic equipment, I could also sense him and he told me that he was involved in an RTA (Road Traffic Accident) in the 1980s. I thought that he was riding a motorcycle as he was dressed in leathers, but he answered via our dialogue meter that he was not on a motorcycle. What his fate was I do not know because he didn’t provide us with answers.

I found this café area strange, not because of the lack of spirit energy, but when I first visited The Red Lion this room seemed to be electric and I felt vitalised and full of energy, yet on the night the reverse was true, everyone including me felt drained and tired which was a huge disappointment as I was hoping for some great activity to take place in this room.

After this session we headed into the cellar which is situated on the other side of the public walkway. This was a very spooky place and the group was split. The majority of us were in the main cellar and a couple of guests were near to the beer cask entrance as the other group reported some strangeness when they were here.

A male energy joined us he was from Norfolk aged between 17 and 19 years old, called Phillip and seemed to be a very simple minded chap. He did not physically interact with the group instead we heard all manner of strange noises like groaning, whistling, loud bangs, knocking and all round weird noises. Every time something happened all the guests jumped, as these noises came with no warning and were not caused from people walking on the pavement above us, as we could hear everything that was happening on the street above, the noises in the cellar were coming from the floor or from within the hotel.

The group of people who stayed by the beer cask entrance heard and felt much more than they bargained for and on many occasions some very loud bangs and crashes were heard in this area and just after the noises the guests who were near that area screamed!

During this session a guest felt a party popper (which was stored there) hit his leg which made him jump! And two guests witnessed a Christmas tree (which was being stored) move in front of their eyes. Some of this session has been videoed and hopefully the noises especially the whistling have been recorded. Many orbs were definitely recorded.

The final session of the evening we allowed the guest to roam between the rooms, as my team were all staying overnight and we had the majority of the haunted rooms.

In room 7 which has many stories, a mist formation was photographed by a guest and an EVP was recorded, however the EVP is unintelligible and has been sent off for further analysis.

In room 6 we tried a scrying experiment and all guests who stood in front on the mirror could feel their features change, the spectators could see the results and on several occasions the spirit energy that people could see looked either scary or malicious which frightened some of the guests!

One of my team members who was staying in room 9 reported that when he entered the room the shower was on, much to his amazement. He was not responsible for this as when we arrived he just dumped his overnight bag in the room and then joined the rest of the group in the bar.

After the public investigation had finished, those who were staying in the hotel overnight, which included some guests as well as the team members decided to re-visit the cellar, as it was now much quieter on the streets of Colchester. As before some of us were near the beer cask drop and the rest of the group in the main part of the cellar. I stayed by the Christmas tree in the hope of seeing it move and to experience some of the noises which seem to be related to this old opening. We heard many strange noises here but during the séance which was being conducted in the main cellar I felt that there was an unwelcome spirit energy and although this energy was doing what was asked of him – gentle movements etc. – I felt that one of the guests would soon need my help. I thought I knew which guest it was going to be as this guest (who will remain nameless) has had a similar experience at another investigation of mine.

When I entered the room the guest that needed help was Andy, his partner Wendy was scared of him and said that she felt that Andy was looking menacing and threatening even though Andy was feeling generally fine, he could feel an unusual force or energy around him and I realised what was in progress and stepped in to help Andy, and ultimately Wendy! The spirit energy that was responsible was called Adrian Muller and he was able to push Andy with great force whilst I was standing directly behind Andy, which was probably just as well because otherwise I think Andy would have fallen over.

After giving Andy some much needed energy in the form of emergency healing and placing him in the circle the feeling that he had and his appearance to the group had changed, Wendy could now look at him without being scared!

This event was a huge success and the guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves, we as a team also had a fantastic night and we cannot wait to return to The Red Lion Hotel as I believe there is so much more to experience at this venue.

We have recorded many hours of video footage which is currently being analysed for audio-visual anomalies; any results will be published on our website in due course.

This venue is also available for private events (birthdays, hen nights etc.), for more information please see our website.

I would like to thank all the staff, especially Warren the General Manager for making this event run smoothly and Jason the Night Porter who although sceptical helped us with the event into the early hours.

This was one event which I had been anticipating for months, as I was hoping to try a little table rapping in the Court room, as undoubtedly there must have been quite a lot of gavel banging when the court was in session. It had been used as a court for 400 years so there should have been quite a few sentences.
My group were not disappointed with the amount of noises encountered, although I had not intended to split the group, but because Sandwich is rather a noisy place at night with the pubs opposite The Guildhall having Karaoke competitions. I had to at least try to limit the amount of noise from within the building.
We all started with a Séance in the council chamber room, the energies in here were quite subdued but the people who were facing the door, could see some unusual lights and shadows from that direction. That was the oldest part of the building. Spirit had stepped forward and began to make many people, mostly the men feel very uneasy on their feet. I just had no ability to stand still, neither did the person on my left (he wants to remain anonymous and not have his name mentioned in the report, therefore we’ll call him Bob). The male energy who stepped forward kept showing me his watch, the importance of this took several hours to work out. This male energy was approximately 5’8″ in height and wore a very smart black & white suit, although he was wearing knee breeches and a highly polished buckle shoes. He also showed me that he carried a silver pocket watch, this was attached to his waistcoat via a chain. He gave me the impression that he was of some importance although not a mayor. He gave his name as Thomas and the year of 1880. There was also a shy female energy present who just looked in on us from time to time, I did not get a name for her. However two of the guests did, Bob had Poppy in his head and Kym had Polly in hers.
It was at this juncture that I decided to split the group into two smaller groups, as the Guildhall is a big enough place for groups to work without interfering with each other.
My group headed into the Mayor’s Parlour room. I asked that any spirit present could make a noise in the room, within a matter of seconds noises started in the corner of the room behind me. I asked that the spirit identify themselves and it was Thomas who stepped forward. When the town clock struck the hour, the clock in the room was approximately 3 minutes slower. I had informed the group that I thought it was Thomas who went around the building setting the clocks by his pocket watch, which he was very proud of. Bob at this point made a joke that if it was Thomas, he was 3 minutes out. This angered Thomas and the noises that were then heard by everyone increased, not only in frequency but also in volume. At one point I thought the other group was walking past the door to our room. I was about to ask them to be quiet as it seemed a lot of noise for 5 people. However when I opened the door, all the noise ceased and to top it off there wasn’t anyone near the door or in fact anywhere in the corridor. I couldn’t even hear the other group from just outside the door to the room we were in.
After a break we all headed into the Court room, as the room was big enough and if there were any spirit taps then I wanted everyone to hear it & I could rule out any noise heard within the building, as we were all in one place. It took a while but a male energy made himself known to me, he was standing in the dock, beside Bob. I asked that this energy make some noise to prove that he was present, I tapped three times on the table in front of me and we all heard three distinctive taps next to Bob. Although Bob could not work out where exactly the taps were coming from. This energy gave his name as Jerome and that he was wrongly accused of sheep rustling, his fate and punishment was not given to me. But he was very happy to make some noises for us more or less on command.
The next session I decided that I would like to go back into the Mayor’s Parlour because the pubs had now quietened down and we may get more audible sounds. We did get some more taps & raps, but they were not as good as this first time. The other group had decided to move out of the room next door to ours (The Coroner’s Court), so we moved into there. A boy aged 8-9 stepped forward and gave his name as Samuel, I asked why he was here on his own. He informed me that his father worked in the building and his was here with him. Samuel was wearing his school uniform, grey shirt, blue jacket, blue cap, shorts and he was wearing brown shoes. He informed that these were indoor shoes (I can relate to that because I too attended a school where we had brown shoes for indoors, black shoes for outdoors).
Once again the clock in this room also chimed three minutes after the town clock. Bob once again commented that all the clocks were wrong. Thomas then explained to me that they were right and that the clocks in The Guildhall were right because they weren’t supposed to be the same as those outside The Guildhall. Whether this is true or not I have no idea.
On asking the spirit energies to make a noise they promptly made a loud tap between Bob and I, it was very good as the sound came from inside the table. [This is something that I am interested in and would like to conduct more research on, as table rapping is a very rare phenomena]

There was an empty seat between Kym and Bob and at one point it sounded like someone had sat down on the seat between these two people. I became aware of another male energy called Philip Gedridge who had been strangled. Aged 37 who was dressed in a jean shirt and jean trousers. Just as the outside clock was chiming again we all heard a shuffle of people, but during the shuffle both Bob & I heard a male growl, but before we could ask for spirit to do this again the other group came into this room. Whether the noise was caused by Spirit or whether it is a floorboard we do not know.
Although this wasn’t the kind of ghost hunt that offered physical evidence for the guests it was certainly the place where auditory noises were heard. I would certainly like to go back in the winter months when the noise from the town is likely to be minimal.
Although we tried lots of audio recordings, so far nothing exceptional has been recorded.
Steve
Spiritualist Medium